004 Valmiki

For sixty thousand years Ratnakar sat, meditating on the name of Rama. In this long period, he was oblivious of his surroundings. Where Ratnakar was sitting, an ant hill grew and slowly the ants started spreading over his body and eating away his flesh. Ratnakar did not feel anything. All he did was utter the name of Rama.
Soon all flesh was eaten away and only bones remained. Over a period of time, grass and bushes grew over the mass of bones. The name of Rama did not stop.
Brahma and Narada had stepped away for a minute. This was sixty thousand years in human time. When Brahma and Narada got back they could not see Ratnakar.They looked around but no signs. While they could not see anyone, they could hear the name of Rama being uttered. Tracing back to the source of the sound, they came to an overgrown ant hill. They saw the name of Rama coming from the ant hill. So Ratnakar is here, Brahma thought. He called for Indra, God of Rains, and asked him to rain non stop for seven days and seven nights.
After the rain, Brahma saw a human skeleton uttering the name of Rama, With the grace of Brahma, Ratnakar got back his human form. Getting up, he prostrated himself before Brahma. You gave me the name of Rama, he said. Today I am free.
Brahma asked him to get up and said. You were Ratnakar. Today you get a new name. Eaten by the ants (Valmika), you will hence forth be known as Valmiki.
Valmiki wanted to know what to do next. Brahma said, go write the story of Rama, in seven chapters (Kanda).
Valmiki said he would do the same, but he was not very educated. How would he able to write an epic about Rama?
Brahma said - Do not worry. When it is time, Devi Saraswati, Goddess of all learning, will sit on your tongue. What ever you say about Rama, Rama will perform those tasks. Saying this Brahma and Narada left.

003 Greatness of the name of Rama

Ratnakar first went to his father. 'Will you share my sins with me', he asked. His father was offended. No scripture states that the son's sins would be shared by his father. His father said in life, there are changes. In one stage, he is the father and he has a baby, that is his son. In the later stage of life, there is a reversal of roles and now the father is like a child, and the son like the father. It is the duty of the son to now take care of the father. When you were small, the father continued, it was my duty to take care of you. If I had sinned then, then those sins would stay with me, would not touch you. Now there is a role reversal and you are like a father to me and you need to take care of me. Also, I never asked you to kill people and thus run the family. This was your choice and you need to bear the consequences.
Hurt, Ratnakar then went to his mother. Tell me the truth, Mother, will you share with me my sins. When I bore you in my womb, I made sure my sins do not affect you.I will not be a part of your sins.
Dejected, Ratnakar then went to his wife.Tell me, o beloved, he asked her, will you share my sins with me. His wife said I am your wife, and it your duty to take care of me. When you married me, you took vows that come what may, in whatever circumstances, you will always take care of me. If you have sinned, which you should have not, those will not touch me, as that is part of your duty.
He was scared now. What have I done. I thought I would have my family share all my sins, but no one was willing to. Raising an iron mace, he struck himself and fell senseless on the ground.
Coming to him senses, Ratnakar decided to go to the sage he had tied up. Maybe he can help me.
Saluting Brahma, Ratnakar said he had realized that there was no one to share his sins. He wanted to know what was the way of salvation for him.

Brahma asked Ratnakar to have a dip in the pond nearby and come to him. So much had he sinned, that the moment he touch the water of the lake, it all evaporated. The water creatures started dying.
Coming back to Brahma, the dacoit said he needed help. The pond was full of water but the moment I touched it, it all vanished and now innocent water creatures are dying because of me.

In the holy pot that Brahma was carrying, there was some water. Brahma took some water from there and sprinkled it on him. Thinking of a way to remove the sins, Brahma asked Ratnakar to utter the name of Rama.
Though he tried, he could not take the name of Rama. So great were his sins that his tongue got twisted when he tried to take Rama's name.
Brahma began thinking. This was not good. Ratnakar needed to take the name of Rama. He thought - Rama is spelt as Ra and Ma together. If you reverse the order say Ma and then Ra, after some time it will become Rama. Calling Ratnakar, he said, when you kill a person and the person is dead, what do you call that dead person? Ratnakar said why they say Mara. (Note - in bengali, the dead - Mara is spelled as ম ড়া ). Brahma said, change the Ra and say Mara (ম রা ). After struggling for some time, Ratnakar was finally able to utter Mara (ম রা ). Utter this in continuation, Ratnakar was finally able to utter ম রা ম রা ম রা ম রা ম রা ম রা .... which became transformed to রা ম রা ম রা ম রা ম ... He was now free of his sins. He was now liberated.
Turning to Narada, Brahma said, this is what Shiva had spoken of. The greatness of the name of Rama. Just once did Ratnakar utter the name, and all his sins were gone.

002 Ratnakar

Narada and Brahma started thinking. Where would they find this sinner? Who was this person? THey were told that there was a Rishi called Chavan. He had a son called Ratnakar. All evil deeds - name it and he had committed it. Though born of a rishi, he was leading the life of a robber - looting and murdering
Narada and Brahma arrived where Ratnakar was. Incidentally this was a day when Ratnakar had not been able to loot anyone. As a dacoit, looting, robbing and murdering was his way of life. Climbing up on a tall tree he tried to see if anyone was coming down the path. He spotted two people and came down the tree. These two were Narada and Brahma. They were in the guise of old sages. Ratnakar thought, if nothing else, let me kill these two and take their clothes. They do not have anything else with them.
Raising an iron mace, he tried killing Brahma. He was unable to do so. He was just not able to lift the mace. This was a spell that Brahma had cast. Seeing that he could not attack them, Brahma asked him who he was. Ratnakar said he was in no mood for introductions, he wanted to kill the them and take their garments as booty.
Brahma said killing him would not give him any wealth, but his sims would increase. Brahma said the sin of killing of hundred people was equal to the killing of one cow. The sin of killing a hundred cows was equal to the sin of killing a woman. The sin of killing a hundred women was equal to killing a brahman. The sin of killing a hundred brahmans was equal to killing a brahmachari (a celibate, who had devoted his life to worship). You have killed countless sanyasis who have come down this path.
Ratnakar just smiled. He said he killed countless sanyasis. Brahma said if he so very much wanted to kill him, then had better take them to a place which was not infested with insects. Brahma said he did not want to fall on and kill insects, crushing them with his body, when he was killed.
Brahma then asked him, for all the sins that he had committed so far, for whom was he doing this? The robber said he was doing this for his family. He had parents , wife and children and from the people he was looting, he was fending for his family. The loot was shared by all, so all his sins were also thus shared by all.
Brahma smiled. Why would they share your sins? You have sinned, so your sins stay with you. Your sins will not be shared. If he so desired, he could go and ask his family if they were willing to share his sins.If they agreed to share his sins, he was free to kill anyone he wanted to. Till the time he came back, the sages would sit under the tree.
Ratnakar started thinking. I think he planning to escape from me, which is why he is saying all this. Addressing Brahma, he said this excuse of an escape would not work. Brahma said was promising he would run away and would stay there. Not believing them, and tying them to a tree, Ratnakar went homewards.